Coupler shank and yoke assembly for railroad cars



March 15, 1966 R. c.wx|, l |AMs 3,240,354

COUPLER SHANK AND YOKE ASSEMBLY FOR RAILROAD CARS Filed March l2, 1964 Y ma s Ik@ m v glu k INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,240,354 COUPLER SHANK AND YOKE ASSEMBLY FOR RAILROAD CARS Ray C. Williams, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Car Truck Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 351,497 Claims. (Cl. 213-21) This invention relates to improvements in coupler and yoke assembly for railroad cars and has for one object to provide an arrangement which will assist in maintaining the elevation of the coupling face of the coupler -at a standard distance above the track.

Another object is to maintain the coupler shank in horizontal position.

Another object is to prevent excessive wear of the coupler shank and yoke.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the outboard end of -a railroad car yoke and associated parts with coupler and shank in elevation;

FIGURE 2 is a section along the line 2--2 of FIG- URE 1.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 the outboard end only of the center sill is shown and only a part of the draft gear cushion associated with the coupler is illustrated. Center sill, coupler and draft gear are conventional and need no further illustration to enable proper understanding of the invention.

The center sill 1 at its outboard end has a wear plate 2 in contact with a wear plate 3 on the draft yoke 4. The draft yoke 4 extends inwardly of the center sill and encloses the follower plate 5 which m-ay travel along a wear plate 6 carried by a support plate 6a on the center sill 1. The follower plate 5 is engaged by the outboard end of the draft gear cushion 7 and is limited in its outward movement by the draft stops 8 on the center sill 1.

The coupler shank 9 is loosely slidably socketed within the draft yoke 4 and abuts at its inboard end on the follower plate 5. A key 10 extends through the coupler shank 9, the slots 11 in the yoke 4 -and the slots 12 in the center sill 1. A wear plate 13 on the yoke 4 engages a wear plate 14 on the underside of the coupler shank 9. A wear plate 15 on the upper side of the coupler shank 9 is engaged by a pressure plate 16 pressed downwardly against the Wear plate 15 by the spring 17. The spring 17 is anchored on the center sill 1 and is pivoted on the wear plate 16 at 18 at a point nearer the outboard end of the wear plate.

The center of gravity of the coupler is approximately at point 19 beyond the outboard end of the yoke and between the coupler head land the wear plate 13 on the yoke. The spring 17 is of such strength that it exerts such downward pressure -on the inboard end of the coupler `shank as to hold the wear plates 13 and 14 together and prevent counter clockwise or downward rotation of the coupler as might otherwise occur owing to the fact that the center of gravity of the coupler is outboard of the contact between the coupler shank and the yoke.

As a result 'of this structure the coupler shank is constrained to horizontal movement with respect to the yoke and whether the coupler is hitched o-r not to another coupler, the coupling face cannot sag down and is held at proper position above the track.

Because the pressure plate 16 is supported by the spring ice -at a point outboard of its center of gravity whenever the coupler shank is withdrawn from the yoke, the pressure plate falls down into the dotted line position so that when the shank is returned it cams the pressure plate into proper working position and deects the spring 17 so no trouble is had in connection with the reinsertion of the shank` past the pressure plate into position in the yoke.

The wear plates 14 and 15 on the coupler shank provide smooth bearing surfaces so that the shank is free to move in its usual operation with respect to the yoke. Under some circumstances these wear plates might be omitted and the shank engaged directly on the yoke at the underside with the pressure plate contacting the shank on its upper side.

It will be understood that the importance of this structure is rst that in order that the coupler may mate with couplers on other cars, the height of the coupling face above the track must be maintained. In order to do this, the coupler shank is maintained in horizontal position as it moves in and out with respect to the yoke. An irnportant factor here also is that with the center of gravity of the coupler out beyond the end of the yoke, or the striker, then when the coupler is not connected to another car, the assembly tends to rotate in a counter clockwise direction causing wear at the outboard end of the yoke or striker. This wear in the past has been compens-ated for by the use of shims. Obviously a complicated and inaccurate solution of the problem. With the structure here l illustrated no shims are needed since wear is uniformly disposed over the entire mating por-tions of coupler shank and the coupling face is always held in proper position at proper distance above the track ready to mate with another coupler.

The pressure plate and spring or other yielding means provide an essential counter force to prevent downward tilting of the outboard end of the coupler. Any means which will exert a downward pressure on the inboard end of the coupler shank to prevent such tilting is effective. The particular flat spring yand pivoted pressure plate is a simple and exceedingly effective solution of the problem. Other structures might be equally effective though perhaps more complicated and expensive.

I claim:

1. In combination, a railroad car draf-t yoke, a coupler shank loosely socketed for longitudinal movement therein, -a coupler head carried by the shank, opposed horizontal bearing surfaces between the underside of the shank and the yoke, the center of gravity of the coupler being beyond the outboard end of the yoke, yielding means engaging the shank to overcome the tendency of the coupler to rotate downwardly with respect to the yoke in response to the force acting through the center of gravity,

said yielding means including a pressure plate eng-aging the upper `side of the shank and means for yieldingly urging it downwardly with force 'suflicient to overcome the force applied through the center of gravity.

2. In combination, a railroad car draft yoke, a coupler shank loosely socketed for longitudinal movement therein, a coupler head carried by the "shank, opposed horizontal bearing surfaces between the underside of the shank and the yoke, the center of gravity of the coupler being beyond the outboard end of the yoke, yielding means engaging the shank to overcome the tendency of the coupler to rotate downwardly with respect to the yoke in response to the force acting through the center of gravity,

said yielding means including a pressure plate engaging the upper side of the shank and means for yieldingly urging it downwardly with force `suicient to overcome the force applied through the center of gravity, said yielding means including a spring -anchored at one end and at the other end engaging the pressure plate.

' 3. In combination, a railroad car draft yoke, -a coupler shank loosely socketed for longitudinal movement therein, a coupler head carried by the shank, opposed horizontal bearing surfaces between the underside of the shank and the yoke, the center of gravity fof the coupler being beyond the outboard end of the yoke, yielding means engaging the shank to overcome the tendency of the coupler to rotate downwardly with respect to the yoke in response to the force acting through the center of gravity,

said yielding means including a pressure plate engaging the upper side of the shank and means for yieldingly urging it downwardly with force suicient to overcome the force applied through the center of gravity,

the yielding means engaging the pressure plate at a point nearer its outboard than its inboard end whereby when the coupler shank is withdrawn, the plate remains supported by the yielding means and tilts downwardly at its rear end t-o permit easy reinsertion of the coupler shank,

4. In combination, a railroad car draft yoke, a coupler shank loosely socketed for longitudinal movement therein, a coupler head carried by the shank, opposed horizontal bearing surfaces between the underside of the shank and the yoke, the center of gravity 'of the coupler being beyond the outboard end of the yoke, yielding means engaging the shank to overcome the tendency of the coupler to rotate downwardly with respect to the yoke in response to the force acting through the center of gravity,

yielding means including a pressure platey contacting the upper surface of the shank and spring, means engaging and supporting the plate for urging it downwardly against the shank,

4 said Ameans contacting the plate near its outboard end whereby when the shank is withdrawn the plate is upwardly Iand outwardly tilted within the area occupied by the shank to permit shank replacement.

5. In combination, a railroad car center sill, a railroad car draft yoke slidably mounted for longitudinal horizontal movement in and projecting beyond the outboard end of the center sill, a coupler shank loosely socketed for longitudinal movement in the yoke, a coupler head carried -by the shank beyond the outboard end of the yoke, opposed horizontal contacting bearing surfaces one on the under side of the shank and the other on the yoke, the center of gravity of coupler and shank being outboard beyond the bearing surface on the-yoke, yielding means carried by the center sill and slidably engaging the upper side of the shank inboard of the center sill, exerting a power pressure on the shank sucient to maintain the bearing surfaces onV yoke 4and shank in contact with one another throughout their entire opposed areas against the gravital forces supplied through the center of gravity.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,271,907 2/ 19,42 Wilson 213-60 2,431,864 12/1947 Dean 213-61 2,640,603 6/1953 Willison et al. 213-45 2,754,979 7/ 1956 McMullen 213-61 2,815,865 12/1957 Pelikan 213-61 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A RAILROAD CAR DRAFT YOKE, A COUPLER SHANK LOOSELY SOCKETED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THEREIN, A COUPLER HEAD CARRIED BY THE SHANK, OPPOSED HORIZONTAL BEARING SURFACES BETWEEN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE SHANK AND THE YOKE, THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF TE COUPLER BEING BEYOND THE OUTBOARD END OF THE YOKE, YIELDING MEANS ENGAGING THE SHANK TO OVERCOME THE TENDENCY OF THE COUPLER TO ROTATE DOWNWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE YOKE IN RESPONSE TO THE FORCE ACTING THROUGH THE CENTER OF GRAVITY, SAID YIELDING MEANS INCLUDING A PRESSURE PLATE ENGAGING THE UPPER SIDE OF THE SHANK AND MEANS FOR YIELDINGLY URGING IT DOWNWARDLY WITH FORCE SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE FORCE APPLIED THROUGH THE CENTER OF GRAVITY. 